A man was sentenced to life imprisonment and slapped with a penalty of Rs 25,000 by a local court in Mainpuri for killing his cousin over property dispute.

Pradeep was killed allegedly by his uncle Omkar Nath Pachori and cousin Neeraj Pachori over a property dispute and later his head was severed and body disposed of at two different places in February 1999, prosecution sources said in Mainpuri.

After investigation, police filed a charge sheet against Neeraj and his father Omkar Nath.

Additional district and sessions judge Sunil Kumar considering the evidence on record and hearing the prosecution and defence counsels held Neeraj guilty for the murder of Pradeep yesterday. Omkar Nath had died during the trial.

The court further sentenced Neeraj to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years with a fine of Rs 10,000 for removing evidence.

Both the sentences will run concurrently, the judge said in the order.